The Theory of Everything

If the universe is infinitely finite, an entity whose mystery is knowable only through an evolving progression of theories and equations, it's nothing compared to a marriage. Every marriage or long-term partnership is knowable only to the people inside it -- and sometimes not even then.

The Theory of Everything tells the story of genius theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking's marriage to the former Jane Wilde, though of course it can tell that story only from the outside.
You can see why fellow student Jane (Felicity Jones), well-bred, well-mannered, and pot-of-cream pretty, would be attracted to him. Not long after the two finally get together, a doctor informs Stephen he has only about two years to live. Jane decides that she wants to make a life with him anyway. Holding babies will become more difficult as Stephen's motor capabilities deteriorate, but he manages anyway — at every stage, Stephen, as Eddie Redmayne plays him, radiates the joy of being in such close proximity to a tiny new being. His fame grows, but the strain of looking after him -- while also raising three children -- begins to wear on Jane. '

The Theory of Everything may slightly sanitize the truth, whatever that is: This is, after all, a story told from the point of view of an ex-wife. And the film is as polished as a piece of fine walnut furniture. But it's striking, at times even piercing, for the way it infiltrates some universal realities of marriage. If the secrets of making marriage work were a science, then geniuses might be able to help us through it. As it is, even brainiacs like Stephen Hawking have to muddle through just like the rest of us.